Hi Woomahodal,
I'm new to this forum (1st post as a matter of fact 
but I've been shooting my boys soccer (and their teams) for the past several years. Nice crisp colors and some good action (#4 is the best). What settings are you using on your camera? What I've found works for me (and I've noticed is recommended a lot) is to use to Av priority mode on your camera and shoot at the widest aperature you can. This helps minimize background (increased blur) and lets in more light so you have faster shutter speeds. Another thing to think about is adjusting your ISO to match the conditions - on some of the recent cloudy grey spring days we've been having, I'm up around ISO 400+.
In the post processing (i.e., in Photoshop), crop out unnecessary space and level your horizons (#2 and 3 in particular look likethey're playing on a slope) and don't worry, even w/ a monopod, I still have to fix the horizons.
I also use just the center focus point and keep my camera on burst mode (although I don't use the burst feature that much). As you watch games, you begin to anticipate the action and that helps w/ your timing. I typically follow the ball, but some people focus on and follow specific players. I guess it depends on what you want (you get more action on the ball by following the ball, but not neccesarily of your friend). And take lots of pictures. The big advantage of digital is the images are cheap.
A rule of thumb I've heard and try to follow is faces, action and ball. Getting all those aspects in a picture is good (i.e., #4)
good luck and have fun.
colleen
